Graphic images have been posted to social media – police are investigating
05:52, 11 Feb 2026Updated 08:34, 11 Feb 2026
Manchester Victoria(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
Pigeons were shot dead in mass culls held at Manchester Victoria railway station, after it was claimed the population of the bird was ‘becoming unmanageable’.
Northern, which manages and operates the station, confirmed the work was ‘undertaken by a licensed and specialist sub-contractor, following surveys and risk assessments’ last year. The rail operator said pigeons were ‘posing a risk to colleagues and customers’.
The operator, however, has now apologised ‘for any distress caused’ and said no further similar culls are planned at the station after an investigation by a pigeon rescue and rehabilitation group.
Manchester Pigeon Rehab posted distressing images and videos to social media showing pigeons with clear injuries. One, said the group, was found with a pellet lodged in its neck.
The volunteer-led group, which operates across Greater Manchester, claims not all injuries to birds proved fatal after the sub-contractor used said its operatives could ‘achieve a very high degree of success’, but not 100 per cent.
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They said pigeon ‘proofing’ steps should have been taken instead and questioned the use of ‘lethal control’. Northern, in response, said it was ‘reviewing’ the images and footage posted on social media.
The station is open to the elements and regularly attracts large numbers of the birds. Manchester Pigeon Rehab reported their findings to police, with British Transport Police saying ‘enquiries into the circumstances of the cull are ongoing’.
A pigeon trapped upside down near a ledge(Image: Manchester Pigeon Rehab)
The group said it first took in an injured pigeon found trapped upside down between a ledge at the railway station in October last year. They said it had a ‘visible open leg fracture’ and had suffered significant blood loss. The bird was treated and has now been transferred to a permanent home, the group said.
A second pigeon, an adult female, was also taken in by the group after it was found injured on the ground at Manchester Victoria in November last year. They claimed a pellet was found lodged beneath the skin of its neck. The pigeon was treated and made a recovery before it was released back into the wild at Salford Precinct before Christmas.
The group went on to file a request for details to Northern under the Freedom of Information Act, asking for records of pigeon culling, the methods used and about ‘lethal control’.
In a written response, seen by the Manchester Evening News, Northern said a ‘bird management program’ was ‘being carried out by an authorised company at the request of Northern Trains to control the population of birds at Manchester Victoria Station which were becoming unmanageable and a risk to public health’.
The operator said the culls ‘began on a bi-weekly program starting on October 14 2025’. It added that the pest control activity was ‘undertaken in accordance with the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, under the relevant DEFRA General Licence permitting the control of wild birds for the purposes of preserving public health and public safety’.
Bird nets at Victoria(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
A risk assessment referencing firearms also featured within the response to the FOI.
It reads: “All staff who use air rifles, shotguns or firearms will be trained, certified and have authority to carry out this work activity. Care will be taken to ensure that the risks from ricochets and projectiles passing through materials is minimised by selecting the correct weapon, carrying out work at the most appropriate time and only taking a safe shot with a suitable backstop.
“The area where the activity is planned must be clear of all personnel. Signs and barriers will be placed where and when necessary to restrict third party access to treatment area. Shooting must only be carried out in an area where permission has been granted.”
A survey report ordered by the station and carried out by the contractor used said ‘feral pigeons’ were using the open-air station to perch, roost and nest, resulting in fouling creating a health and safety hazard. It said ‘operatives’ would ‘attend site out of hours and undertake a bird cull to the station to help reduce the target species’.
“All our marksmen undergo rigorous training and can achieve a very high degree of success in difficult surroundings,” it said. “We will establish the most effective way of carrying out this programme with the minimum of disruption to your working schedule.”
Manchester Victoria(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
It’s understood culls with guns were carried out at dawn or dusk and lasted for two hours. The company said it would ‘attend site out of hours and undertake bird population control by means of shooting’.
A spokesperson for Northern told the Manchester Evening News: “This pest control activity was carried out at Manchester Victoria station last year, as the pigeons were becoming unmanageable and posing a risk to colleagues and customers. This was undertaken by a licensed and specialist sub-contractor, following surveys and risk assessments.
“We use a number of other methods to deal with pigeons at stations across our network. We are reviewing the footage posted on social media and are sorry for any distress caused. Since the issue was brought to our attention in December we have instructed our contractors to cease activity and no further culls are planned at Manchester Victoria.”
Feral pigeons are listed under a ‘general licence’ under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, meaning they can be killed at railway stations under certain circumstances and strict conditions by licensed experts.
British Transport Police said in a statement: “Officers received a report on Friday (6 February) of pigeons that had been culled at Manchester Victoria railway station in October 2025. Enquiries into the circumstances of the cull are ongoing.”